Messages in this thread | | | From | Timothy Covell <> | Subject | Re: Changing KB, MB, and GB to KiB, MiB, and GiB in Configure.help. | Date | Fri, 21 Dec 2001 22:49:34 -0600 |
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On Friday 21 December 2001 22:32, H. Peter Anvin wrote: > Followup to: <200112220152.fBM1qJSr022347@svr3.applink.net> > By author: Timothy Covell <timothy.covell@ashavan.org> > In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel > > > No, the US never went metric. That's why $200M Mars probes crash on > > entry due to some idiot using English units as opposed to the NASA > > standard of Metrics. The funny thing is that Thomas Jefferson, an > > American President, suggested the Metric system to the French while he > > was ambassador there. > > Ewhat?! > > -hpa
I'm assuming that you're questioning Jefferson's role. Here are a couple of quotations which show that Jefferson's idea predated the official implemenation. I can do more digging if need be.
1791 - "Jefferson Report." Thomas Jefferson described England's weight and measures standards to Congress "on the supposition that the present measures are to be retained," and also outlined a decimal system of weights and measures of Jefferson's conception.
And:
As the scientists were experimenting in their laboratories, practical tradesmen were making themselves permanent standards. In 1793, during Napoleon's time, the French government adopted a new system of standards called the metric system, based on what they called the metre.
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